Firing a client
On the outside it's easy - we all know that some customers or clients aren't meant for us. They take up too much time for what they're worth, and in the end of the day they drag our spirits and our businesses down. So just identify them and fire them right? Well each of those steps isn't too easy and I'm learning that the hard way.
Like most of you, I consider myself a pretty good judge of character. I've had a handful of conversations with potential SEO clients that I immediately turned down because I had that "gut" feeling that it wouldn't work out. But the majority of people come to you in need and don't always show their true colors right away.
I have one particular client that has been dragging Pure Adapt down from day 1. He came to us from a very reputable referral so we figured he would be good to work with. It started out great, but slowly deteriorated - the project took longer than expected and yielded much worse results than it should have, primarily (in my opinion) because of him. He nagged and called incessantly, and most of the time those calls were about something we'd already discussed or we had no control over and he knew we had no control over (would you call your SEO guy if your web host wasn't doing their job?). He also had a habit of contacting us at ALL hours of the day, even on holidays and weekends, to follow up on things that could have easily waited a week or two (they were that minuscule).
George and I had also engaged him in several arguments. Each time we were ready to step away, but he smoothed things over and apologized enough for us to stay. We justified it because we wanted the few thousand dollars he owed us. But the more it dragged on, we realized we were stressed out to the extent that it was taking us away from other responsibilities (phones and emails 3 times/day from someone who should be contacting you 3 times/month will do that do a man).
We recently fired this client. We gave him a list of about 15 reasons why, and he actually went along with it and agreed with the split. It ultimately came down to trust - he didn't trust us and our abilities so he nagged all day long...and I think he knew that because he didn't put up a fight when we canned him.
Now that it's over, I wish I had done it sooner. Just like in Quality Control, the best way to eliminate defects is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. And just like in QC you need a process to make that happen. Even the best six-sigma manufacturing process can't eliminate ALL defects, but it can come pretty damn close.
Here's what I'm going to do from now on:
Even if I did NEED clients (or if you need clients), they will want to work with you much more if they know you have a thorough evaluation process and don't just work with anyone throwing money at you. Exclusivity both protects you and makes you more desirable - two very good things.
Like most of you, I consider myself a pretty good judge of character. I've had a handful of conversations with potential SEO clients that I immediately turned down because I had that "gut" feeling that it wouldn't work out. But the majority of people come to you in need and don't always show their true colors right away.
I have one particular client that has been dragging Pure Adapt down from day 1. He came to us from a very reputable referral so we figured he would be good to work with. It started out great, but slowly deteriorated - the project took longer than expected and yielded much worse results than it should have, primarily (in my opinion) because of him. He nagged and called incessantly, and most of the time those calls were about something we'd already discussed or we had no control over and he knew we had no control over (would you call your SEO guy if your web host wasn't doing their job?). He also had a habit of contacting us at ALL hours of the day, even on holidays and weekends, to follow up on things that could have easily waited a week or two (they were that minuscule).
George and I had also engaged him in several arguments. Each time we were ready to step away, but he smoothed things over and apologized enough for us to stay. We justified it because we wanted the few thousand dollars he owed us. But the more it dragged on, we realized we were stressed out to the extent that it was taking us away from other responsibilities (phones and emails 3 times/day from someone who should be contacting you 3 times/month will do that do a man).
We recently fired this client. We gave him a list of about 15 reasons why, and he actually went along with it and agreed with the split. It ultimately came down to trust - he didn't trust us and our abilities so he nagged all day long...and I think he knew that because he didn't put up a fight when we canned him.
Now that it's over, I wish I had done it sooner. Just like in Quality Control, the best way to eliminate defects is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. And just like in QC you need a process to make that happen. Even the best six-sigma manufacturing process can't eliminate ALL defects, but it can come pretty damn close.
Here's what I'm going to do from now on:
- Almost exclusively only deal with people I receive via a referral from someone I know and trust.
- Interview references & customers - that's right, taking on a long term client is just like taking on an employee and I'm willing to check up on them.
- Look for signs early on in the quoting process. Quoting a client is a "mini project" that you work on collaboratively. The most important thing to me is trust - trust me to do my job and I will do it. If I see an inability to trust me and the desire to over-question everything I do, my time isn't worth it. If you hire an expert, trust that the expert knows what they're doing. Otherwise do it yourself.
- Collect more money upfront. It might not be fair, but a lot of the pressure I had from this bad apple was because of the payment structure I set up. If I get pre-paid for work (at least in the beginning...say for 6 months) then I can always draw a line and say that you've used up what you paid for...much better than worrying that if you don't do this extra task you won't get paid for what you've already done.
Even if I did NEED clients (or if you need clients), they will want to work with you much more if they know you have a thorough evaluation process and don't just work with anyone throwing money at you. Exclusivity both protects you and makes you more desirable - two very good things.
posted by Adam McFarland at
4/17/2007 11:58:00 AM
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home